They all go through to the Awards final being held on October 4 at Gresham’s in Ipswich when the winners of this year’s 10 categories will be announced.

Launched in February, entries for the Awards closed in March, after which applications were shortlisted and verification visits to entrants were carried out.

A team of care sector professional judges, from both private and public-sector organisations met in June and July to select the category finalists announced today.

This is the third year the Awards have been held. Two Suffolk health and social care organisations host them – Care Development East (formerly The Suffolk Brokerage), a not-for-profit organisation based in Needham Market promoting care excellence, and the Suffolk Association of Independent Care Providers (SAICP), a membership organisation involved with good care practice.

Commenting on the Awards and the category finalists selected, Liz Taylor, Chair, Care Development East, said: “The number of entries we received this year was, once again, very good and we believe that this demonstrates the value the sector sees in getting the message across, through these awards, that high-quality care practice is being delivered in Suffolk.

“What has shone through this year is the enthusiasm and passion for caring and care in Suffolk. There are some great examples of care providers and individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.

“As well as those organisations who have entered before in previous years, this year it has been heartening to see new care companies and organisations entering for the first time. Despite a difficult environment for care providers right now, quality care is much in evidence and being provided day in and day out by a hard-working health and social care workforce in this county.”

She added: “The Awards final is very much the social care highlight of the year and many care workers and care businesses enjoy coming together to network and celebrate achievements.”